Supplements Derived from Flowers

April showers bring May flowers—and May flowers carry health-promoting properties. In the world of natural healthcare, there are many valuable supplements derived from flowers, especially those with a history in botanical medicine—a history that, in some cases, goes back at least 2,500 years to Hippocrates. If they had not worked, these plants would not have stood this extensive test of time! Today, chamomile, echinacea, bee pollen, and red clover are part of the power of flowers available as supplements that provide a variety of health-promoting benefits.

Chamomile

Two species of chamomile are used medicinally: Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) and German chamomile (Matricaria recutita). Roman is favored in England, while the German variety is much more widely used throughout the rest of the world.

Chamomile is primarily used for gastrointestinal (GI) complaints and has been used for centuries for this purpose. According to Arthur Presser, PharmD, DHPh (the “Nature Pharmacist”), chamomile can be helpful for the treatment of cramping or irritation due to stress or diarrhea, indigestion, gastritis, irritable bowel disorders, spastic colon, Crohn’s disease, colitis, infant colic, acidity, stomach aches, bloating, cramps, flatulence, and nausea. It’s no surprise that the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy recognizes chamomile for the treatment of GI complaints. The Complete German Commission E Monographs (an internationally respected authority on herbal medicine) also recognizes chamomile for “gastrointestinal spasm and inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.”

Chamomile flowers contain volatile oils that contribute to this herb’s anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and smooth-muscle-relaxing action, particularly in the GI tract. My six-year-old son asks for “tummy tea” (chamomile tea with a little honey) whenever he gets a belly ache—and it works.

And here’s good news for new parents: A tea made from a combination of chamomile, vervain, licorice, fennel, and lemon balm relieves colic more effectively than placebo in colicky infants. When children with diarrhea were given a preparation containing chamomile and apple pectin or a placebo, diarrhea ended at least 5.2 hours sooner in children taking chamomile compared to the placebo.

In addition to its GI uses, chamomile is also effective when applied externally for skin conditions.

Dosage

Therapeutically, chamomile can be used as a tea (my preferred form for children, particularly because the dose can be controlled with water dilution).

It can also be taken as a fluid extract (1:1 containing a minimum of 0.3 percent volatile oil, 1 to 4 ml, three times daily), or as a tincture (1:5, 3 to 10 ml, three times daily).

Echinacea

This herb has a history of use as three distinct medicinal species, Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia, and E. pallida. With echinacea, not just the flowers are used, but all of the above-ground parts of the plant, as well as the root.

An immune stimulant/supporter, echinacea is excellent in the prevention and treatment of colds and influenza. Research suggests that echinacea supports the immune system by activating white blood cells (lymphocytes and macrophages). This herb appears to increase the production of interferon, which is important to the immune response of viral infections.

However it works, a number of double-blind, clinical studies have confirmed echinacea’s effectiveness in treating colds and flu. But some research suggests that it may be more effective if used at the onset of these conditions. An interesting case history published in a newsletter for professional medicinal herbalists helps to illustrate this:

John (age 42) had just caught a cold and was about to fly from Brisbane, Australia, to London, England, a 24-hour trip. He was concerned about how flying would affect his condition. (Flying can aggravate respiratory conditions.) John’s medicinal herbalist prescribed Echinacea angustifolia tablets, 500 mg, and he was advised to take two tablets every hour. By the time he arrived in London, his cold was almost gone. He continued to take echinacea every few hours the following day and the cold did not reappear. Besides its application for acute colds and flu, Germany’s Commission E Monographs also indicates that this herb can treat chronic infections of the respiratory tract.

Dosage

If you are taking a tincture prepared from E. purpurea herb, the dose is 5 drops, one to three times daily. If you are taking a root preparation of either E. purpurea or E. angustifolia, the dose is 900 mg, three times daily of the dried root in capsules; 0.5 to 1.0 ml, three times daily of a fluid extract (1:1); or 30 to 60 drops, three times daily of a tincture (1:5).

Bee Pollen

We all know that bees collect pollen from the flowering parts of many plants. The pollen naturally contains enzymes, amino acids, protein, vitamins, and minerals, as well as flavonoids and phenolic acids (which have antioxidant properties). But besides the nutrient content, is there any other health value?

To begin with, a pollen extract has been reported to improve symptoms of chronic prostatitis in men. Similarly, double-blind studies have demonstrated that pollen extract is effective at reducing the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or abnormal enlargement of the prostate.

Women can also benefit from pollen. A mixture of flower pollen, fermented bee pollen, and royal jelly helped to relieve menopausal symptoms in about one-third of the participating women in one study. Earlier research demonstrates this same mixture as being more effective than a placebo for menopausal symptoms, including headache, urinary incontinence, vaginal dryness, and low vitality.

Pollen is often used to desensitize people to plants to which they are allergic. A double-blind study in which people with hay fever were allergic to grass pollen demonstrates this. Subjects were given grass pollen extract for three weeks, gradually increasing the concentration. Thereafter, they took the pollen twice weekly for maintenance. Compared to the placebo group, those taking the pollen extract had significantly fewer severe hay fever symptoms during the next allergy season. Of course, this type of treatment for allergies would require that you know the actual source of the pollen that you’re taking. To be most effective for allergies, the pollen should be locally sourced.

Dosage

Because of the possibility of an allergic reaction to the pollen (especially in people with allergies), it’s best to start with only a few pollen granules. In the research on BPH, six tablets per day of a pollen extract supplement were used.

Red Clover

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) has an extensive history of traditional use in both eastern and western cultures as a diuretic, sedative, and antitussive (cough suppressant), and for treating whooping cough, asthma, bronchitis, skin sores and ulcers, sore eyes, and burns. The modern use of red clover has focused primarily on its application for menopause.

Red clover contains high amounts of isoflavones, such as genistein, which have estrogen-like properties. After receiving 80 mg of isoflavones per day from red clover, postmenopausal women in a double-blind study experienced a reduction in the frequency of hot flashes.

Dosage

With regard to its modern use as a treatment for menopausal symptoms, red clover can be taken as a tablet or capsule standardized for its isoflavone content.  Look for products providing 40 mg of isoflavones from red clover.

p> Chamomile, echinacea, bee pollen, and red clover are all valuable supplements to help promote your personal health and well-being. As always, be sensible in your approach and don’t use any supplement as a single modality in the prevention or treatment of any disease. If you have a serious medical condition and are interested in using dietary supplements as part of a treatment strategy, confer with a healthcare professional who is familiar with the use of natural products.